HOFSTRA CULTURAL CENTER presents a conference

Defining Culture Through DressIndividual and Collective Identities

April 19-21, 2007

Dress is an important compenent of our daily lives. Through clothing, individuals establish their sense of self as well as their place in society. The connections between dress and both individual and collective identities continue to be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the world of fashion and dress. Interdisciplinary in approach, the conference establishes associations between culture and dress through a dialogue among scholars in the fields of sociology, psychology, art, history, anthropology, communication, journalism and business, as well as fashion experts.

The conference will feature some of the country's leading fashion experts, analysts and trendsetters, as well as fashion shows. The opening keynote address on Thursday, April 19, will be given by Harold Koda, Curator-in-Charge of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the same day there will be a performance of Fashion Statements!, conceived and directed by Bob Spiotto.

Highlights on April 19 include a panel dealing with "Fashion and a Sustainable Environment" with eco-fashion model and activist Summer Rayne Oakes and "Fashion and Image" with David Wolfe, creative director with Doneger Creative Services (Doneger is the leading source of global market trends and merchandising strategies to the retail and fashion industry). On April 20 there will be a panel on "Hip-Hop" fashion with a fashion show presented by Rocawear and Jamal Joseph's original film Stylin' on Screen: Urban Chic, tracing black fashion from the cotton fields of the South to the bling-bling style; conference exhibition What We Wear presented by the Hofstra University Museum; and the conference banquet featuring an address by James Aguiar, co-host of Full Frontal Fashion. There will be two fashion shows on Saturday, April 21. The first will feature Ladies' Church Hats, modeled by the Women's Ministry of Union Baptist Church in Hempstead, NY, and the other will be of Bridal fashions, sponsored by David's Bridal.

Other topics throughout the conference will address "Men and Women of the Cloth," "Middle Eastern and African Identities," "Communicating Fashion," "Latin American Identities," "The Influence of Movies on Fashion," "Fashion Uniforms and Uniformity," "Asian Identities," "The Gender? of Fashion." "The Rich and Famous: Upperclass European Women's Fashions," and "Fashion Identities: American Experiences."

For a complete schedule of panels and other events, as well as for information about how to register for the conference, please view the Conference Registration Program.